Jack Ruby
Jack Ruby, like Lee Harvey Oswald, must be studied in the full to understand his role in the assassination tragedy. The question to this day remains, who was Jack Ruby? Numerous assertions swirl around the figure of Jack Ruby such as FBI informer, mob hit man, intelligence operative, member of the Dallas police force, and assassination conspirator. He was a known associate of crime figures, had several arrests by Dallas police, none of which were brought to trial or resulted in a conviction, had numerous traffic and parking violations, and had his liquor license suspended for various breaches in liquor laws, of particular note was a violation and suspension of his license for "moral turpitude."
But, who was Jack Ruby? His impulsive and violent behavior was evident from his moniker "Sparky." A man that did not hesitate to forcibly evict unruly patrons, Ruby carried a concealed handgun, assaulted drunk and disruptive customers either with his fists or by pistol whip, and was, by many accounts, a man that did not shy away from a good scrape.
Ruby, born Jacob Rubenstein, in Chicago, in 1911, had a troubled youth and was a continual truant. Ruby, by some accounts, knew Al Capone. This vague assertion is something akin to the claim of knowing Michael Jordan because one is from his hometown, Wilmington, North Carolina. As a young man, he was drafted into the Army Air Force in 1943 and was honorably discharged in 1946. He moved to Dallas in 1947 and began his business as dance hall operator, night club owner, and strip club manager.
Ruby found it advantageous to maintain friendly relations with authorities, his association with Dallas police was widely known. He provided free drinks, food, made coffee readily available, provided his office for private phone calls, gave bottles of whiskey to officers at Christmas, arranged loans for officers, and, allegedly, provided illegal favors to officers such as escort services and gambling opportunities. Ruby, additionally, enjoyed the company of police officers. He was a frequent visitor to Dallas police headquarters, he delivered sandwiches during high profile cases, as he attempted to do on the night of November 22, 1963. Ruby even provided funds for the widow of a slain Dallas police officer, L.C. Mullinax, in 1962, an event that reportedly affected him deeply.
How many Dallas police officers were actually friendly with Ruby was difficult to determine after November 22. Dallas Police Chief Jesse Curry told the Warren Commission that about fifty officers knew Ruby, according to an internal investigation after the fact, but the extent of Ruby's popularity with the Dallas police force must be considered to be significantly greater than fifty officers out of 1,200.
Sparky Ruby and his girls
November 22, 1963
Jack Ruby's whereabouts on November 22, 1963 is well known. He did not drive a get-away car seen leaving the area of the Grassy Knoll, supposedly with Lee Harvey Oswald inside. He did not drive Oswald to the TSBD that morning and there is no evidence that Ruby knew Lee Harvey Oswald or J.D. Tippit. It is known Ruby spent considerable time that morning in the offices of the Dallas Times Herald preparing an ad for his night club, the Carousel Club, when news of the assassination began to emerge. But, his presence in police headquarters was noted on the evening of the assassination among the throng of reporters and photographers.
Ruby introduced himself to reporters, civic leaders, and shook hands with familiar police officers. When queried about his presence in police headquarters, Ruby fabricated an explanation about working with an Israeli newspaper reporter. He was in an element he enjoyed, as he handed out invitation cards to his club, he was among the important people of the day, he was somebody.
Ruby in police headquarters, evening of Nov. 22
Midnight Press Conference
Oswald's midnight press conference was an unusual affair. Paraded by Dallas police to the basement of police headquarters, Oswald was permitted to answer questions from reporters for a few moments until a sudden, loud outburst from within the throng of reporters disturbed the proceeding. Oswald, visibly troubled at the premature ending of his moment on the world stage, was taken back to the third floor where he was formally charged with the assassination of President Kennedy.
Also present at the press conference was Jack Ruby. He stood among the reporters and photographers, notebook and pen in hand, perhaps stalking the assassin, and patiently waiting for the moment to strike. Unlike the members of the press, Ruby had a Colt revolver in his pocket. He later testified that the night of the press conference did not present an opportunity to shoot Oswald due to the great number of reporters and police near the target. It is likely that Ruby had no specific plan to kill Oswald and, as events unfolded, his act of murder developed spontaneously. Had Ruby been contracted or directed to kill Oswald, it should have happened the night of the press conference, hit men usually have no regard for innocent bystanders.
Ruby at midnight press conference, upper right
Sunday Morning
Ruby's presence in the basement of police headquarters the morning of November 24, 1963, remains a key point of debate among assassination researchers. In his Pulitzer Prize winning photograph, Dallas Times Herald photographer, Bob Jackson, captured a moment that changed history, the disturbing last second of Lee Harvey Oswald's pitiful life. Oswald's murder, seen on live television nationwide, in blurry black and white, set off a fire storm of conspiracy accusations that, to this day, have convinced a vast majority of Americans that a conspiracy to murder John F. Kennedy did take place.
Ruby's weapon, a Colt Cobra, chambered in .38 special, was, and remains, an effective weapon for close quarters defense and attack. In Oswald's case, a single bullet entered his left lower torso and inflicted massive internal damage where survival by the victim was highly unlikely. Det. Jim Leavelle, in light suit to Oswald's right, stated that, in the ambulance to Parkland hospital, Oswald let out a gasp of breath, went limp, and never moved again. It was likely he was dead on arrival.
Detective Leavelle spoke about transferring Oswald and Jack Ruby.
How Ruby arrived in the basement of police headquarters at the critical moment has been the focus of considerable debate.
Ruby and Oswald cross paths
Conspiracy
Jack Ruby's Sunday morning, on November 24, was not spent in preparation for murder. By 10:00, the announced time of Oswald's transfer to the jail in Dallas County Sheriff's office, Ruby was preparing to visit the Western Union office to wire some money to one of his girls. As he drove to Dallas, he passed the TSBD area and was moved to tears by the sight of hundreds of flowers and wreaths left in the area. He testified to the Warren Commission that he wired some money to one of his dancers, Karen Bennett, known as "Little Lynn," left the Western Union office, and walked to the entrance of the police garage. The time stamp on Ruby's money wire was 11:17.
A group of people were standing in the area around the entrance to the parking garage when Ruby approached. As a police car emerged from the basement, an officer stepped out to the street to hold up traffic and, during this brief and slight disruption to his duties, Ruby, according to his own testimony, slipped down the ramp to the parking garage. In a few moments, Lee Harvey Oswald would die. Ruby viewed his action as patriotic; he was able to do what most of America wanted to do and could not. He was a hero. Lee Harvey Oswald was shot at 11:21, Sunday, November 24, 1963.
Video of Oswald's murder by Jack Ruby.
Those that watched Oswald's killing that Sunday morning were stunned by the death of the prime suspect. But, during the afternoon of the 24th, as the facts surrounding Oswald's attacker became known, the seeds of conspiracy were in bloom. News of Oswald's death by a night club owner with ties to the underworld started the firestorm of conspiracy beliefs that dominate any discussion of the Kennedy Assassination to this day. As Det. Jim Leavelle told Jack Ruby, "You did not do us any favors by killing Oswald."
Armored car at garage entrance moments before Jack Ruby's arrival.
Hit Man Jack
The question of Jack Ruby's involvement with conspiracy to murder Lee Harvey Oswald will never be answered to the satisfaction of those who cry foul of the Warren Commission. Was Jack Ruby part of a greater conspiracy? His motive was, according to Ruby's own testimony, an overwhelming urge to kill the man who brought so much misery to the country and the First Family.
Ruby's activities the morning of Oswald's murder does not support the supposition of paid or ordered hit man. He was sending money to a stripper literally moments before the shooting, he was an impulsive man, prone to action without thinking, and left his dog in the car.
The conspirators point to the Dallas police for their inattention to detail that allowed Ruby to enter the garage at the critical moment. Some have claimed that Ruby was recognized at the top of the ramp and permitted to enter. The most bizarre accusation must be the suggestion that Det. Jim Leavelle, handcuffed to Oswald, wore a light-colored suit that morning in order to facilitate Ruby's recognition of Oswald and even turned Oswald to pass directly in front of Ruby.
Ruby, on November 21, the night before the assassination, admitted to having eaten supper at the Egyptian Restaurant, owned by Joseph Campisi, a man with supposed ties to organized crime. But is this fact enough to claim Ruby was a hit man? Ruby's connections to organized crime have been described by those that knew him as being extremely peripheral, he was always on the fringe, outside the business at hand looking in, with hopes of being famous.
Shortly after the murder of Oswald, Ruby realized he was not a hero and talk of his complicity in conspiracy to assassinate the president unnerved him. He feared threats against his family and realized he might be given a seat in the electric chair for his work. His testimony before the Warren Commission was rambling and confused, lucid at times, and emotional at others, the mark of a man who had lost command of himself. He was not the cold, calculating killer presented by the conspiracy community, but a bungling misfit.
Ruby during Oswald murder trial